Zinedine Zidane Interested in France Coaching Role

Former World Player of the Year Zinedine Zidane, who is the coach of the Real Madrid reserve side, retired from international football after the 2006 World Cup where France reached the final.

Written by Agence-France Presse

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File photo of Zinedine Zidane.

Marseille:

File photo of Zinedine Zidane.

Former France captain Zinedine Zidane, currently coach of the Real Madrid reserve side, admitted on Tuesday he would consider a coaching job with his native France.

The former World Player of the Year worked as Carlo Ancelotti's assistant as Real won the Champions League and Copa del Rey last season and is following in the footsteps of Pep Guardiola by beginning his career in management in the Spanish third tier.

"I'm ambitious. Now I'm a coach I say to myself 'why not be national coach?'," Zidane, 42, said in an interview published Tuesday in the daily La Provence newspaper.

"I love the France team, I wore this jersey. That doesn't mean to say that I can be coach, but from the moment I went over to the other side of the fence it's obviously a possibility."

He added: "Now I'm coaching Real's young players. One thing at a time."

Capped 108 times, former World Cup and European championship winner Zidane retired from international football after the 2006 World Cup where France reached the final.

"Zizou" praised his former teammate Didier Deschamps, now the France coach.

"As a player he was a leader. As a coach, he hasn't changed. With Les Bleus he has managed to form a solid group. He's achieveing great things," added Zidane.

The Marseille native claimed the first win of his coaching career on Sunday when his young team Real Madrid Castilla won 3-1 at home against Trival Valderas.